


Almost Human

by Champagne



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Addiction Metaphors, Alternate Universe, Gen, Siren!Jon, Supernatural Creatures AU, Vampire!Daisy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-25 08:22:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22332937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Champagne/pseuds/Champagne
Summary: Tuesdays are their weekly meetings, a sort of AA but for supernatural creatures trying to be less monster and more human.Jon and Daisy share a drink after one such meeting, and both of them are glad to have a friend that understands the ups as well as the downs.
Relationships: Jonathan Sims & Alice "Daisy" Tonner
Comments: 11
Kudos: 138





	Almost Human

**Author's Note:**

  * For [madnessiseverything](https://archiveofourown.org/users/madnessiseverything/gifts).



> This is a birthday fic for Luna! Happy birthday! It's pretty late, but eventually I finished it! Life was determined to make this difficult for me, but I did it!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> HUGE thanks to rustkid and osirisjones for being wonderful betas and helping me work out Jon and Daisy's relationship!
> 
> AU notes at the end of the fic.

“So.” Jon watches Daisy take a long drink of whatever mixed concoction Melanie made for her, on the house, and pulls a face. Daisy chuckles and motions for him to continue. “How long has it been, for you?” He’s proud of himself for not sounding as awkward as he usually does, but he’s sure the two finished screwdrivers are to thank for that.

“Six months.” Daisy pulls out a metal coin from her pocket and flips it into the air. It glints bronze and black acrylic in the low light of the restaurant, and she catches it with a deft hand. “Not a drop of blood.”

“Congratulations,” Jon tells her, and he feels it come from the depths of himself. He pauses for a moment, reeling at how much he cares for this hard and scarred woman, but it isn’t anything new. He just feels dizzy as he thinks back to how she was at the start of their meetings, harsh and distant and temperamental. At this point he knows it was because she had attempted to quit cold turkey, but it still took months before he felt safe to be in the same room as her.

And now here they are, sharing a post meeting meal at her favorite restaurant, where a mutual friend just so happens to work. Melanie brings over two glasses of water, and Jon knows that means she’s cutting them off now so they don’t end up stumbling home drunk.

He mumbles a thanks as Melanie walks away, and Daisy asks him, “What about you?”

Jon hesitates, and he knows that hesitation tells her everything. He still feels his pride and affection for her, but the guilt is worming its way in even though he knows that one mistake isn’t the end of recovery. When he finally responds, saying, “I, uh-” Daisy puts her hand over his where it’s resting in the middle of the table. He hesitates again, but then gets out, “Last week. I...had a bad day.”

“Tell me what happened,” she says, and squeezes his hand. Her voice is low and her tone is hard, but Jon knows that she’s not angry with him. She rarely gets angry anymore, now that she doesn’t have the blood addiction fueling her supernatural nature. He still has a scar from the one and only time she did get angry, and on occasion he sees her look at it with a terrible guilt that he knows he can’t assuage.

Jon sighs. “I, I had a nightmare.”

“ _The_ nightmare?” Daisy squeezes his hand again. For a split second he forgets that he’s told her close to everything, including previous...less fortunate victims haunting his dreams. Her grip loosens just a little when he shakes his head.

“No, just...a regular nightmare. Which.” He huffs a laugh, and Daisy frowns. “Which makes this whole thing seem even worse, but-”

“Recovery is not a one way street,” Daisy says before he can, repeating one of Gerry’s favorite phrases. Then says another, sounding amused, “We are not horror movie antagonists.”

Jon can’t help but chuckle and shake his head.

“Go on,” she says, and pulls her hand back to take another bite of her yet unfinished food. Always a slow eater, savoring the meal. How very much like a hunter, Jon thinks.

“And then I.” Jon rolls his eyes at the memory. “I spilled my tea on myself, right outside of the cafe.” Daisy makes a sympathetic noise in between bites. “And then I _tripped_ , right into a puddle.”

Daisy half chokes on her food and sits back. “Christ, Jon, did you piss off a fairy?”

“Not that I _know_ of,” he grumbles.

“And then?” Daisy prompts, and he heaves a sigh and rubs his face.

“There was a woman,” he says softly, not taking his hands off of his face. “I could...feel it on her. It was something I could give her. She was just passing me on the street, but-” He huffs a deprecating laugh and shakes his head. “I couldn’t stop myself.”

“Is she alive?” Daisy asks, and her voice is hard again and it makes Jon look up at her. Her arms are crossed and she’s frowning, but her eyes are alight with concern.

“Yes,” he says, and the admission makes both of them relax. “She’s lost a few fingers and a few years of her life, but yes.”

Daisy makes a face, and Jon knows that she’s curious but reluctant to ask. He motions vaguely, not quite permission but enough to push her forward, and she shakes her head but asks, “What did she want?”

It’s ridiculous, how simple a desire it was, but the memory burns in his throat and tastes like copper, and scorches his lungs with shame. “A day she’d never forget.”

Daisy frowns, and then sits forward and leans against the table, realization changing her expression to something pinched. “Did you tell anyone? About everything?”

“I told Gerry,” he grumbles. “And he accompanied me when we told Dekker, so I’m not going to be arrested or killed for it.”

“That’s.” Daisy sits back again and her shoulders sag. “That’s good. I imagine Gerry gave you his lecture?”

Daisy chuckles when Jon groans. “Unfortunately.”

“He means well.” Daisy finishes off the last of her alcohol, then takes a sip of water. “You know how he gets. He’s awfully protective of us supernatural bastards.”

“He’s going to get himself killed one day, I’m sure.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Daisy fiddles with the straw in her water for a second. “So, how are you feeling?”

Jon knows she doesn’t just mean at that moment in time. “Frustrated,” he admits. “Annoyed. Angry with myself. But I’ve had more energy lately, so that’s a silver lining, I suppose.”

“And the woman is alive,” she reminds him. “Short a few fingers, but alive.”

Jon pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes. “It’s all rather unfortunate.”

“It’s a step backwards, definitely,” Daisy says, and hums when Jon winces. “But she’s alive and you feel guilty about it. It’s progress.”

“I just wish I didn’t have to almost kill multiple people before accepting my situation,” Jon grumbles.

“I say be proud of your heritage.” Daisy raises her empty glass in a mocking toast. She pauses a moment before adding, “I’d kill to have the ability to read people’s minds.”

Jon rolls his eyes and waves her off, picking up his own empty drink and tapping it against hers. She’s offering an out and he gratefully takes it. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

“You can make people tell you anything,” she points out, like it’s not already obvious to him.

He hums. “Not exactly.”

“You know their greatest desires.”

Again, he says, now trying not to smile, “Not exactly.”

“That’s basically mind reading, Jon.” Daisy points at him and is fighting down a smile of her own. “Don’t try to convince me otherwise.”

“You’re really quite wrong about all that,” Jon says, but his voice is shaking with the effort not to laugh. “It’s not nearly that simple.”

“Sure it is.” Daisy sounds so sure of herself that Jon bursts out laughing, and Daisy’s smile is more of a smirk but it’s brimming with affection and self directed pride. “There, now you’re not in a foul mood anymore.”

“For _now_.”

Daisy hums. “I can ruin your mood again, if you really want me to.”

It comes across as a challenge, and Jon doesn’t like to back down from those when Daisy is the one giving them. He chalks it up to something like pack bonding, which he wholly blames Daisy on, but it doesn’t seem quite right to have her bloodline quirks affect Jon as well. Either way, he lifts his chin. “Try me.”

“Did you tell Tim and Martin?” she asks, and for a second Jon feels like he’s falling. “And Georgie and Sasha?” she adds.

It takes a second for him to find his voice, but he says, “In fact, I have.” He sounds far more put together than he feels, but by the new frown on Daisy’s face he doesn’t look the part.

“Didn’t go well?”

Jon groans. “Georgie and Sasha gave me an earful, of course. It lasted for an hour, and they seemed to start over whenever they were interrupted.”

Daisy chuckles. Jon heaves a sigh.

“They’re right, of course,” she says after a moment.

“I know, I _know_.” Jon rubs his face and takes a deep breath.

He is more than aware of how much of a gift their friendships are, both as individuals and as a package deal. Early on, they acted as his anchors, grounding him and reminding him what it meant to be human. They were more than justified in their disappointment in him, even though it stung.

Speaking of disappointment.

“Martin was...disappointed, in me,” he says, voicing the thought, and his mouth is dry. “But he understands. Tim as well.”

“At least they’re understanding,” Daisy says in a low voice, probably not meant for Jon to hear, but his hearing has been better since his drastic mistake. He makes a face and she blinks, and then shakes her head. “It can be hard,” she says louder. “They’ve decided to throw their lot in with you, even though they’re just human.”

“I know.” Jon sighs. “This was easier when I didn’t know my own heritage.”

“You don’t mean that,” Daisy says at the same time he thinks it. “You’ve told me multiple times that ignorance is not bliss.”

“Honestly?” Jon takes a long drink of water, and at least his mouth doesn’t feel as dry. “I am grateful every day that they decided to continue with our relationship instead of ending it once we found out...what I am.”

“I was half expecting Martin to bail, but I knew Tim was going to stick around,” Daisy says. “He’s always been stubborn like that. Doesn’t quite know when to give up.”

“Funnily enough, I suspected the opposite,” Jon mumbles, and opens his mouth to say something else when Melanie saunters over.

“Here’s the check,” she tells the, and sets down a small black faux leather folder on the table between them. “Try not to destroy the place fighting over who pays.”

“It’s my turn anyway,” Daisy says, and snatches it up before Jon can even think to move. She ignores his glare and tucks money inside. “Thanks for the drinks, Melanie.”

“I know what Tuesdays are,” she says, and takes the folder back from Daisy. “Figured you two could use a drink.”

“You’re right about that,” Jon mutters into his glass as he takes another sip.

“Don’t stay out too late, kids,” Melanie tells them, and departs with a lazy wave over her shoulder.

Daisy hums. Jon copies her, harmonizing without consciously deciding to do so. It makes Daisy chuckle.

“It’s amazing that two monsters like us deserve love,” she says softly.

“Don’t let Basira hear you call yourself that,” Jon says just as softly, and smiles when Daisy lets out a genuine laugh.

“Come on. Let’s get on home.” Daisy stands and grabs her coat and waits for Jon to do the same. “Before one of our nosy friends calls the authorities on us.”

“Labeled as runaways for being five minutes late,” Jon muses, and Daisy laughs again as they leave the restaurant.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no concrete world notes for this AU aside from what I used to write this fic, which includes:  
> -Jon is a Siren (or at least part Siren). He feeds off of people meat and life essence, and can learn people's desires, from surface desires to deepest secrets.  
> -Daisy is a half Vampire, because of the whole blood metaphor used in canon. As much as I love me some werewolf Daisy, I went with Vampire here.  
> -Martin, Tim, Basira, Melanie, Georgie and Sasha are all human. Georgie and Sasha are old friends of Jon's, and Tim and Basira are old friends of Daisy's.  
> -The support group is led by Gerry, who is also human, and overseen by Dekker, who is the head of the police force that deals specifically in the supernatural.
> 
> Feel free to yell at me in the comments about this! I might try to do something more with it.


End file.
